Thursday, April 4, 2013

Perhaps it's the weather, or perhaps it's the relative distance and geographic isolation from the rest of the country, or perhaps it could even be the locale at the brim of the continent, with only the vast ocean to gaze upon... whatever it is, the Pacific Northwest has always been a fertile breeding ground for really doomy tunage. In fact, it is not so bold to say that we have been home to some of the darkest, heaviest, and best doom bands to ever, you know, drearily march toward a gate to hell, in armor with chains and shit, oh, and with some sort of large anachronistic weapon slung across their spiked shoulder plates, or whatever...

Friday's show at the Highline is a fantastic showcase for what this murky place has to offer, featuring three of the finest bands specializing in doom and metal today. In all honesty, both Portland's Yob and Seattle's own Lesbian tend to escape the narrow trap of "doom" and venture into more driving psychedelic and stoner realms these days. All these cats have all been around a while, so they know good and well how to write an epic riff elegy without relying on some of the tired clichés otherwise so prevalent in the doom genre. I mean, they still write long-ass songs, with thick, down-tuned chugging rhythms,and all that, but at least they go somewhere. And man, it can be truly gorgeous when they get there. You'll likely hear some dork use the tired term "eargasm" at some point after the show (and it could very well be a drunken me), but it is probably one of the few places that word is fitting.Openers, Samothrace, stay a little closer to your traditional doom sound, but despite what I said above about the weary canon of the genre, even trad doom can be balls-out exciting when it is done right. Soaring guitar freakouts and the swell and swoop of truly cathartic dynamics keep things from getting dull, and make this band just the first example of the evolution of a niche genre that you will only find in these Northwestern climes. Just because we are home to many doom bands, doesn't mean they can't grow up while here.If you want to have your head cleared, mind tickled, bowels moved, and experience all of the wonderful things that will happen during this show as you shut your eyes and imagine yourself wandering lost in a chilly windstorm on the Jovian moon of Europa, then follow the directions below. Maybe we'll be able to hook you up with that.

***To enter the drawing for a pair of tickets simply send an email to jake@seattlerockguy.com with "Yob" as the subject and your full name in the body. Winners will be drawn this afternoon (Thursday) at 5pm, so hurry up. Good luck!***Details:April 5th – The Highline 21 + Only Infinite Productions
Presents YOB, Lesbian and Samothrace. $12.00 adv. @ www.etix.com, The
Highline, Zion’s Gate, Singles Going Steady and Sonic Boom. Tickets are on sale
now. Doors: 8:00 p.m. Show: 9:00 p.m. Curfew: 1:00 a.m.